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ANDREA
I was standing in the foyer, staring into the flickering darkness. All around me, in every direction, the villa’s rooms were lit by the light of dozens of candles.
Holy…
It was warm, especially compared to the outside chill. The heat felt good on my skin. Vaguely I remembered one of them lighting the pot-bellied stove in the living area, before we’d left for the ridge. Back when it was still light outside.
But now…
Now the house was all candlelit shadows. Whites mostly, with some flickering reds mixed in. And just ahead of me, a smaller candle… planted into the frosting of a chocolate cupcake. It was just one of the sweets Randall had insisted we pick up on our shopping trip. Only now it was held cupped in two giant hands.
Holden looked up at me meaningfully, his face flickering in the candle’s dancing light. He was holding the cupcake out at arm’s length. Beside him, for once, Marcus was actually smiling.
“Happy birthday, Andrea.”
My mind reeled. As Randall stepped over to join them, I was completely and utterly astonished.
“B--But it’s not my birthday…”
“No,” Holden said softly. “But close enough. Your birthday was last week, according to what we were given.”
For a few confused moments, I didn’t even know what day of the week it was, much less the actual date. Then I remembered.
“Did you even celebrate it?”
I hadn’t. I’d been working double shifts, getting ready for Rhodes. My birthday had been the very last thing on my mind.
Still mesmerized by the candle, I slowly shook my head.
“Celebrate it with us then,” said Randall. In the candlelight he looked insidiously handsome, his beard dark and dangerous. He delivered his trademark wink.
“I— I…”
I didn’t know what to say. It was all so overwhelming. The whole house was this cocoon of soothing heat and flickering warm light. A hand reached out and brushed my face. It was Holden’s.
“We’ve been thinking about what you said,” he spoke softly. “About us all being adults here. All sharing the same experiences.”
I gulped hard as his fingertips moved down my face. Ever so gently, they traced the curve of my quivering jaw.
“Also about being a team too,” Holden went on. “So far that’s worked out for us.”
Marcus stepped forward. One big arm slid around me, pulling me closer, Rendering me almost weightless.
“You still want to be a team?” he asked.
His voice was deep, baritone. His dark eyes burned into mine. Still trying to swallow past the lump in my throat, I nodded mechanically.
“Good,” he said, and then kissed me.
I melted instantly, my legs giving completely away. Marcus continued to hold me against his hard, gorgeous body. Kept kissing me with depth and passion, until I was totally limp in his arms.
“Like you said,” Holden murmured softly. “You’re a big girl, right?”
He was very close by now. Just over my shoulder. Our eyes met, and suddenly I was kissing him too. Our lips rotated softly against one another’s, as his tongue slipped into my mouth…
And through it all, Marcus. Still holding me as Holden kissed me. Still supporting me… his hands, firmly in command of my body.
Then he started kissing my neck too, and I felt myself go utterly drenched.
